re: Tide Hoops | Recruiting

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Arkansas basketball moved quickly to replace former assistant Clay Moser by announcing the promotion of director of operations Anthony Ruta to an assistant coach position Wednesday morning.

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Early Rankings, Odds for Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball Next Season

Crimson Tide is expected to compete for another SEC title and land a better seeding in the NCAA Tournament in 2022-23.

Even though the 2021-22 season just ended, and every college basketball roster is in a state of flux, it's never too early to start looking ahead to next season.

You know the basketball coaches are, so there's no reason that everyone else shouldn't as well.

For Alabama, the early word is that the Crimson Tide should be better next season.

In Sports Illustrated's Way-Too-Early Men’s Top 25: Ranking the 2022–23 Season’s Leading Contenders, writer Kevin Sweeney has Alabama at No. 12.

"Things never quite clicked for a Crimson Tide team with tons of talent in 2021–22, but Nate Oats’s team will be back in the mix this season. Expect more roster turnover than this article’s rules project—I’d be quite surprised if all three of Jahvon Quinerly, JD Davison and Jaden Shackelford returned next season. But with the additions of a pair of elite freshmen in Jaden Bradley and Brandon Miller, along with young returnees such as Charles Bediako and Darius Miles, give this group the chance to have a special season."

Of course, Quinerly and Shackelford have already announced their departures, so the lone remaining big question among those three is what Davison will do in regards to the 2022 NBA Draft.

Jeremy Woo’s latest Sports Illustrated big board has Keon Ellis at No. 33, and Davison at No. 37, which means both have slid out of first-round projections, while Shackelford is No. 64.

Going back to Sweeney's rankings, he has Arkansas at No. 1, with Kentucky at No. 2, and he has Tennessee with Sweet 16 potential at No. 14.

That's not far off from what the oddsmakers have. With its opening odds, BetOnline also has Arkansas as the favorite:

2023 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship

Arkansas 10/1
Duke 11/1
Gonzaga 11/1
Kentucky 11/1
Houston 14/1
Kansas 14/1
North Carolina 14/1
UCLA 16/1
Arizona 18/1
Michigan 18/1
Texas 20/1
Baylor 22/1
Villanova 22/1
Alabama 33/1
Texas Tech 33/1
Auburn 40/1
Purdue 40/1
Tennessee 40/1
Creighton 50/1
Memphis 50/1
Oregon 50/1
USC 50/1
Virginia 50/1
Dayton 66/1
Indiana 66/1
Michigan State 66/1
Ohio State 66/1
Texas AM 66/1
Seton Hall 75/1
Xavier 75/1
Connecticut 80/1
Illinois 80/1
San Diego State 80/1
Wisconsin 80/1
Davidson 100/1
Florida State 100/1
Iowa 100/1
Miami FL 100/1
Notre Dame 100/1
Oklahoma 100/1
Rutgers 100/1
St. Louis 100/1
Syracuse 100/1
TCU 100/1

Other SEC teams:

Florida 125/1
LSU 150/1
Mississippi State 200/1
Vanderbilt 200/1
Missouri 500/1
Georgia 500/1
Ole Miss 500/1
South Carolina 500/1

This time last year, Kansas was 18/1 to open. Among the other Final Four teams, Villanova was 14/1, Duke 16/1 and North Carolina, which made the final as a No. 8 seed, was 25/1.

Alabama was 16/1

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Ohio transfer Mark Sears talks schools involved, visits

Ohio transfer Mark Sears has been hearing from a lot of schools since entering his name into the transfer portal. Sears averaged 19.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists this season and is starting to set up his visits.

“There's a lot of schools reaching out to me but Mississippi State, Georgetown, Alabama, and Miami are the ones that check in on me daily,” he said. “Right now I'm trying to get some visits situated but I've done a virtual visit with Mississippi State and I'm supposed to do one with Georgetown today. I'm going to try to get up to Alabama's A- Day game. I think that will be the day my visit will be. I'm also trying to get out to Miami, Texas and Georgetown as well. I plan on taking all those visits before I decide.”

“I want to make my decision around late April, when school ends so I can get my stuff situated, set up summer classes so I can get right to work.”

Sears spoke on some schools involved with 247Sports.

Mississippi State: “Our virtual visit went really well. They showed me the facilities, the academic center and I really liked it. Their message to me is that they need a point guard. They said we got the keys for you and we want you to drive the bus.”

Alabama: They're message is that they want me to come back home. They're system is very guard oriented and they told me they put guards into the NBA.”

Texas: “I spoke with the head coach and he's basically saying they need me to reach the final four. He said he wants to win a national championship and around this time next year wants to see me in the draft.”

Sears knows what he's looking for in a program.

“I'm looking for the right fit where I'm surrounded by great players,” he said. “My role will be key, the spotlight, the stage where I'm playing against the best night in and night out and being able to prove myself.”

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Utah Valley transfer Fardaws Aimaq tells ESPN he’s been focused on Kentucky, Gonzaga, Texas Tech, Washington, Houston, Arkansas, Iowa, Arizona and Texas. Averaged 18.9 points and 13.6 rebounds this past season, two-time first-team All-WAC selection and two-time WAC Defensive POY.

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Did someone say that Broome is going in draft or is he still a transfer option? If so, would love to pull him since Aimaq doesn't look like an option.

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#Alabama Basketball Recruiting Insider: Notes on a few transfers, 2022 prospects.

Details at @BamaOn3:

On3+

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Sears, Reeves, and Bridges would be a great portal haul. I'd do away with the jaded, cynical outlook on Alabama basketball at least until the first 3 minutes of the opener next season and Gump hard all summer.

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